Chapter 33: A Stab in the Back

The heat of the Free Flight Incident continued to ferment online for several days.

Yingjiang Guo's stifled and helpless official statement was turned by Yanhuang Guo's netizens into various memes and jokes, with a sense of exhilaration showing between the lines.

However, this relaxed atmosphere did not last long.

That afternoon, Cheng Haitang came to Qin Hao's residence again.

Unlike the excitement and joy of the previous two visits, this time his face was gloomily frightening, as if a layer of frost had condensed on his usually unsmiling visage.

As soon as he entered, he walked straight to the sofa, sat down, poured himself a cup of water, drank it in one gulp, and then heavily set the cup on the coffee table.

Seeing his state, Qin Hao couldn't help but ask:

"Old Cheng, who pissed you off? Why does your face look so awful?"

Without directly answering Qin Hao's question, Cheng Haitang took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to him,

"Have a look yourself; if they don't dare to come openly, they start playing dirty, same old trick."

Qin Hao took the document dubiously, opened the first page, and the title made him frown.

"Emergency Report on Abnormal Fluctuations in the Recent International Low-Enriched Uranium Market Price."

The report's content is very clear.

Just yesterday, the major uranium-producing countries in the international market almost simultaneously announced a "market-based adjustment" to the price of natural uranium (U3O8, commonly known as yellowcake) exported to Yanhuang Guo.

The result of this adjustment was that the price directly quintupled.

"Five times?" Qin Hao's tone also sank, "This is robbery."

"Worse than robbery."

Cheng Haitang's voice carried a suppressed anger,

"Our Intelligence Department has confirmed that this is Yingjiang Guo pulling strings behind the scenes. They pressured those countries, forcing them to join forces to raise prices, specifically targeting us.

Moreover, most of the extra money flows, under the guise of "technical service fees" and "security consultation fees", into the pockets of certain interest groups on Yingjiang Guo's side."

Cheng Haitang leaned on the sofa, pinching his brow: "It's no different from the gangsters extorting protection fees on the docks—utterly disgraceful."

"Originally importing one ton of low-enriched uranium cost over a million Yanhuang yuan; now it's over six million, meaning the state will lose hundreds of billions for nothing."

Qin Hao looked at the data on the document and quickly calculated in his mind.

Low-enriched uranium is the basic raw material of the nuclear industry; a fivefold price increase means Yanhuang Guo's entire nuclear power industry's operating costs will surge sharply, undoubtedly a precise strike against the nation's energy strategy.

"Are we really that short of this stuff? Can't we buy it elsewhere? Or can't we mine it ourselves?"

Qin Hao was somewhat puzzled; he truly hadn't paid attention to these issues.

This is also precisely the point of Cheng Haitang's visit to Qin Hao today.

He needs Qin Hao to understand that the seriousness of this matter goes far beyond merely spending a bit more money.

"This is where they stab us—precise and ruthless." Cheng Haitang's expression became extremely grave.

"Nuclear power is the most important link in our future energy structure, relating to energy security and the 'carbon neutral' strategic goal. And we, however, happen to be a uranium-poor country."

He stretched out a finger, gesturing to Qin Hao:

"Our country's annual demand for low-enriched uranium is roughly eight to nine thousand tons, and this number keeps increasing with the construction of our nuclear power plants."

"But our own annual output, even with every possible effort, is less than two thousand tons. The remaining shortage of over seven thousand tons relies entirely on imports."

A shortage of over seven thousand tons.

This number also sank Qin Hao's heart.

He finally understood why Yingjiang Guo chose to act here.

This is not ordinary commercial friction; it's a move that strangles the throat.

"Before, we had long-term stable cooperation agreements with those uranium-exporting countries, and prices were always normal."

"Now Yingjiang Guo has stuck a bar in the middle; although those countries are also unwilling, they can't overcome the thigh with their arm, so they have to grudgingly accept it."

Cheng Haitang sighed: "We also tried contacting some other small uranium-producing countries, but their output is limited and cannot fill this gap at all."

Moreover, Yingjiang Guo is currently watching us; any move we make will immediately draw their black hand.

The room fell into silence.

The great joy and pride brought by the "Rising Dragon" fighter jet a few days ago have now been washed away completely by this bucket of cold water.

Just because they can't beat you openly doesn't mean they can't disgust you.

The contest between modern states has long ceased to be limited to the battlefield of real swords and guns.

Energy, finance, technology……

Any weak link can become a target for the opponent's attack.

"The higher-ups are holding meetings to study countermeasures, but in the short term it's hard to have an immediate solution."

Cheng Haitang's tone carried a deep sense of helplessness,

"Either we grit our teeth and accept this sky-high price, or we can only slow down or even halt part of the nuclear power plant construction plan. Neither is something we want to see."

This is no longer just "losing face"; it's real "flesh-cutting".

Qin Hao said nothing, leaning on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees.

In his mind, the system's interface quietly surfaced.

【Energy Points Balance: 1.53 billion】

Energy Points were still steadily increasing, but at this moment Qin Hao's attention was completely elsewhere.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the report before him, seeing the mineral deposits deep underground, and the grand projects that might stall due to material shortages,

and also saw Yingjiang Guo's ugly face, which, although it had lost the battle, was smirking maliciously behind the scenes.

Seeing Qin Hao lost in thought, Cheng Haitang assumed he also felt stifled and angry about this, so he patted his shoulder and offered comfort:

"You don't need to think too much; the sky won't fall. There are always more solutions than difficulties; over these many years, we've seen all kinds of storms.

"Today I told you these things also to let you know that the struggle we face is complex and long-term; we cannot let our guard down just because of one or two victories."

Qin Hao came to his senses, he lifted his head, looking at Cheng Haitang's bloodshot eyes, and suddenly said:

"Isn't it just raising the price? Then we just won't buy it; I can directly replicate low-enriched uranium, right?"

As soon as he said that, Cheng Haitang then recalled the replication system, smacking his forehead,

"Exactly? How did I forget this?"

But soon he thought of something else, his expression changed instantly, and he rejected Qin Hao's idea.

"No way! This is absolutely not allowed!" Cheng Haitang was adamant, leaving no room for doubt.